Explorer Sport - Single Tire Replacement

[MiWiAu]

Hey all!

New member and recent owner of a 2013 Explorer Sport. I was experiencing vibration (and oscillations in the steering wheel) at speeds 55+ MPH. I took my truck to a tire store, and they were able to diagnose it as a bad LF tire. The vehicle has cheap Chinese Nankang SP-5 tires ($125/ea on Amazon). They were able to get it to balance with an excessive amount of weight (6 oz !!), and moving it to the rear axle eliminated nearly all the vibration. I don't want to drive it like this for long, and I am trying to work through the dealer from which I purchased the vehicle, but I anticipate I will be fixing this on my own.

I've searched many threads, and I've seen many answers on whether I can replace one tire or if they all need to be replaced. My hope was to install one of the cheap tires until they are all due to be replaced. I really don't want to pay another $1000 for tires after shelling out $31k for the vehicle on Saturday.

I found this statement on p.114 of the 2016 Police Interceptor Utility manual, and I was wondering if there is anything unique or different about the 2013 4WD system that would preclude me from installing only one new tire (I did not see the same statement in the standard 2016 Explorer manual or my 2013 manual):

Major dissimilar tire sizes between the front and rear axles (for example, 17 inch low profile tires on the front axle and 22 inch high profile tires on the rear axle) could cause the AWD system to stop functioning and default to front-wheel drive or damage the AWD system. However, the AWD system is capable of tolerating any combination of new and worn tires of the same original tire size. For example, using 3 worn tread tires and 1 new tread tire all of the same original tire size, can be tolerated by the AWD system.​

Based on tire size, the 28.6" diameter of the 245/55R18 Interceptor tire is smaller than the 30.0" diameter of my 255/50R20 tires, so perhaps the larger rolling radius of my 20" tires would put them out of spec with mixed tread. The example above, though, seems pretty extreme - mixing 17" low tires with 22" high tires. I need to double check the depth of my current tires to see how worn they actually are, but I figured I'd throw this out in there in the meantime. It seems as though I'd be okay replacing one for now, but I wanted to check with the experts

Thanks!

 

[613GT500]

You're taking a big risk replacing only one tire on an AWD vehicle and espcially considering the PTU is already made out of glass.

 

[blwnsmoke]

Since the vehicle is primarily Fwd, I'd be comfortable replacing them in pairs (front L/R or rear L/R).

I would not replace just a single tire.

 

[peterk9]

Although I would be hesitant to replace a single tire, the last sentence of your quoted article seems to sum it up. No problem doing it assuming all tires are the same size. Is there any record of the mileage on those tires? How many miles on the Explorer? I would think the OEM Hankooks would have lasted at least 40k.

Peter

 

[MiWiAu]

Although I would be hesitant to replace a single tire, the last sentence of your quoted article seems to sum it up. No problem doing it assuming all tires are the same size. Is there any record of the mileage on those tires? How many miles on the Explorer? I would think the OEM Hankooks would have lasted at least 40k.

Peter

Thanks for all the replies, guys. I do not have a record of mileage for the current tires. I was going to buy a tread depth gauge on my way home today to check the remaining tread. It looks like a new Nankang SP-5 has 11/32" tread depth.

The Ex just turned over 29,000 miles yesterday. The Carfax showed it was a single owner personal lease prior to my purchase. My guess is the prior lessee threw the cheapest tires he could find on it before turning it in to avoid surcharges.

 

[peterk9]

Thanks for all the replies, guys. I do not have a record of mileage for the current tires. I was going to buy a tread depth gauge on my way home today to check the remaining tread. It looks like a new Nankang SP-5 has 11/32" tread depth.

The Ex just turned over 29,000 miles yesterday. The Carfax showed it was a single owner personal lease prior to my purchase. My guess is the prior lessee threw the cheapest tires he could find on it before turning it in to avoid surcharges.

If your guess is correct and they were replaced because of wear, then I'm guessing the tires should be fairly new and you should not have any issue replacing a single with the same size. I would recommend going with the same make and tread pattern if upgrading them all is out of the question.

Peter

 

[JAPeterson]

You want to look at the tire diameter and not just the tread depth. And if you replace just one then the diameters should be as close as possible.

I think that I could afford the expense I would just replace all 4 tires and sell the others on Craigs List.

 

[MiWiAu]

Hey guys. Quick update. After purchasing a tread depth tool, I kind of feel like a dummy for asking my first question. All of my current tires measure just a hair under 11/32" - new tire tread depth spec is 11/32". This supports my hypothesis that the tires were replaced shortly before trade-in (somewhere around 500 miles ago, going by the Carfax mileage declarations). I understand that the rolling radius/diameter is the most important aspect, but not knowing the exact diameter of a new tire for any given manufacturer, I figure I'll be safe replacing with a new tire of the same manufacturer and model as Peter suggested. Plus, as a small added bonus, the dealer I purchased the vehicle from has agreed to pay the charges I incurred for the initial balancing and diagnosis as well as the purchase and installation of a replacement tire.

Thanks again for all the responses. If another of these Chigchang tires fails before their end of life, I'll be sure to replace all 4 tires with a higher quality tire.

Cheers!
Mikey

 

[peterk9]

Hey guys. Quick update. After purchasing a tread depth tool, I kind of feel like a dummy for asking my first question. All of my current tires measure just a hair under 11/32" - new tire tread depth spec is 11/32". This supports my hypothesis that the tires were replaced shortly before trade-in (somewhere around 500 miles ago, going by the Carfax mileage declarations). I understand that the rolling radius/diameter is the most important aspect, but not knowing the exact diameter of a new tire for any given manufacturer, I figure I'll be safe replacing with a new tire of the same manufacturer and model as Peter suggested. Plus, as a small added bonus, the dealer I purchased the vehicle from has agreed to pay the charges I incurred for the initial balancing and diagnosis as well as the purchase and installation of a replacement tire.

Thanks again for all the responses. If another of these Chigchang tires fails before their end of life, I'll be sure to replace all 4 tires with a higher quality tire.

Cheers!
Mikey

I think you're making the right move Mikey. It's not advisable to mix tires.

Peter

 

[MiWiAu]

Agreed, Peter, thanks! Even though they are "cheap" tires, I can't bring myself to toss all of them right now due to one bad egg. Hopefully the remaining tires will hold out for a little while. Not spending a leg now on new 20" tires will allow me to also get a set Police Interceptor wheels and Blizzaks for the upcoming Wisconsin winter.